How an ancient civilization flourished in the desolate Arabian desert 2,000 years ago

One need only spend a few mid-day summer hours in Petra to sense how ruthless the Arabian desert can be, yet nearly 2,000 years ago, a gifted people that made the city their capital grew into one of the wealthiest civilizations in the ancient world. The story of how the Nabateans mastered life in the desert starts with their sophisticated understanding of water and hydraulic engineering, and an insatiable demand in Egypt, Rome and Greece for fragrant frankincense and myrrh.